Stay away from AFI if you value your Career - Anonymous employee AFI Employee Review

1.0
7 Jun 2021
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

M-F Not enough to list Everyone starts with 3 weeks vacation in addition to 2 weeks off for Christmas and New years.

Cons

Title - Don't believe the Hype! *Untrained Sr. management *Micro Managing *Low pay *Unqualified Human Resources department. *Unqualified. C-Level Managers *Fear Mongering *Gossip *Toxic, non-team player environment * You will NEVER get paid training *Zero diversity, little to no minority managers *Lack of managerial skillsets The constant micromanaging and fear mongering, so much that i feel it actual caused more mistakes and unnecessary pressure. The feeling that Sr. Management claims to have an open door policy (come speak to me) but the doors are always closed. The lack of communication and being thrown under the bus by middle managers to cover the lack of direction from middle managers. The past few years working with managers and Sr. management had given me extreme anxieties, where I had to seek medical and mental advice. If you accept a position at AFI you're quite mental.

Explore other reviews about AFI

5.0
24 Oct 2025
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

The people make it what it is.

Cons

Pay is not the best.

1.0
22 Jul 2025
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Two weeks paid time off for the holidays. Some good people on staff. Occasionally cool screenings.

Cons

You will get a $100 annual bonus. That's it. According to ProPublica, its president and CEO Bob Gazzale made close to $1 million in 2023. Its other executives make six figures, too. Keep in mind that the AFI is a 501(c)(3) and has been tax-exempt since May 1967. Compensation is very low, and your raise is not a cost-of-living increase. Employees can't afford to live near campus while traffic and parking are brutal. HR is a complicated mess that fails to address employee concerns. The concept of "managing upward" is strongly enforced by executives. "Managing upward" is code for assistants/coordinators doing their boss's job, which is often required for a promotion. Promotions and advancement are hard to come by. Unhappy employees = toxic work environment. Although there are a lot of great staffers, the overall attitude is one of depressed powerlessness. Concerns are kept private by employees who have expressed concerns about retaliation from upper management. Hussle culture is alive and well at the AFI. Execs boasted that the AFI was the only school to continue filming throughout the Covid pandemic in 2020, indicating a disregard for health and safety during a global emergency. Google "AFI Lawsuit" and scroll.

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